Community supported community at a June 3 public hearing on the proposed Springs Brewery at 847 Springs-Fireplace Road.
The planning board heard from 18 residents, 11 in person and seven via email, who not only thought the brewery and tasting room were a great idea, but spoke to the character of its owners, Lindsay Reichart and Gunnar Burke.
“It seems like every fund-raiser I go to they’ve generously donated and the fact that this building has been in the family with her father and now has the potential of being passed down to another generation, it feels like a holding of the fabric of what makes Springs in East Hampton so beautiful,” said Zach Bliss. “It’ll be great to have this place for all of us. You know, it feels like places have been going away and to have a mom-and-pop shop open up, it’s going to be extraordinary.”
For 35 years, the Hampton Auto Collision shop operated from the 2,717-square-foot building, which will now be extensively renovated to create a front area where beer will be sold, and tasted, and a back area where it will be manufactured.
Last summer, Dawn Green, a building inspector, determined that the tasting room would be a bar. However, by October, Richard Normoyle, the town’s chief building inspector who was hired in September, overturned that decision.
There will be three bathrooms and 12 seats in the tasting room. A narrative explained how tasting room operations would differ from a traditional bar.
“Operations will be structured to reinforce this retail-oriented model rather than a bar style environment,” it read. “Purchases will be processed as individual point-of-sale transactions, similar to a coffee shop or retail counter, and the establishment will not maintain open tabs or bar-style running drink orders. Hours of operation will align with typical daytime and early evening retail hours, and the interior layout will consist of cafe-style seats intended for relaxed, conversational visits while sampling products and making retail purchases.”
“The tasting room is intended to be a quiet, community-oriented space without amplified live music, televisions, or other entertainment that might encourage prolonged occupancy or bar-type activity,” the narrative continued. “Staff will be trained to monitor and manage consumption responsibly to ensure the space operates as a low-key retail tasting environment centered on packaged beer sales for off-site consumption.”
“I’ve been in marketing my entire life,” said a man who only identified himself as “Ed from Springs.”
“From the perspective of simply brand awareness, this is a great product to be associated with both East Hampton and with Springs,” he told the board.
“This is just the kind of low-key business that we would want,” said Idoline Duke, who lives nearby, “just the kind of thing we would want down the street from us. And these are two young, eager, entrepreneurial people who want to stay in their hometown and create community.”
Patrick Williams said having a brewery in Springs would mean less travel to East Hampton Village or Amagansett.
“This looks like a great initiative for the Springs community. It will bring additional visitors, revenue, and employment opportunities to the area, while helping showcase everything that makes Springs unique,” he said.
A lone voice, Shirley Talmage, whose family owns the adjacent lot, and who estimated she had driven past the location 51,000 times in her life, conservatively, worried about two issues, while insisting that even so, she was not against the idea of a brewery.
“I want you all to know I agree with all of these other people that are supporting Lindsay and Gunnar and the brewery,” she said, reading the room. “I’m just concerned that the town takes the appropriate measures to abate the traffic and parking and water issues there.”
She said that the road has drainage issues. When she called the Highway Department this spring after the road was flooded, it came and pumped at least 10 feet of mud out of three dry wells, two in front of the proposed brewery. When the tide is high, it invades the dry wells, she said.
“So that tells you about the groundwater there and the effect on the harbor. It’s definitely part of the watershed to Accabonac Harbor,” she added.
“If I understand it correctly, there are five parking spaces. I also read that there were 12 places to sit. How many employees are going to be there?” she questioned. “We’ve already got a parking and traffic problem at that location.”
“It’s not against the brewery that I’m speaking. It’s how is it going to get done safely with common sense and practical decision-making,” she concluded.
“It’s an excellent point, especially from someone who lives across the street,” said Ed Krug, the chairman of the planning board. “So, thank you very much. Your concerns will be addressed.”
The hearing was closed. Next, the board will work with the Planning Department to address any comments, before the board votes on whether to approve the site plan.
